


trust is a mobius strip

by sinspiration



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bathing/Washing, Dom/sub Undertones, Keith (Voltron) Has a Praise Kink, M/M, Misunderstandings, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Shiro (Voltron) has PTSD, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), Touch-Starved Shiro (Voltron), and there was only one bed, it's a process basically, overly curious and boundary pushing aliens, soft dom shiro, that word doesn't mean what you think it means
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:29:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinspiration/pseuds/sinspiration
Summary: When Shiro realizes an emotional need isn't being met, he decides to takes actions to provide.Take care of Keith and make him happybecomes Shiro's new mantra and... he finds that having it makes something settle within him, too.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 243
Kudos: 967





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The alternate summary to this was basically: Shiro and Keith manage to fall into a dom/sub relationship that neither of them actually recognizes as such (least at first).
> 
> Buckle up, guys.

“How are we supposed to get this planet to help us if we can’t even find it?” Pidge says, voiced laced with frustration. She’s been using different methods of tracking for days now and is clearly annoyed with how none of them have been working.

“Yeah,” Hunk says. “Maybe… we should leave them alone? You know, if they don’t want to be found?”

“The planet is resource rich and their technologies would be an incredible addition to our cause.” Allura says. Again. “And we know they’re out there. I know they’d help us. We just need to make contact.” She’s tired too, and it comes out a little snappish. Shiro gets it, but he also can’t feel sorry that the others are giving her a hard time. This whole ordeal feels a lot like a wild goose chase. 

“Okay, but their planet is basically the death star.” Lance sighs and crosses his arms. “It keeps _moving_. And it’s invisible!”

Allura purses her lips. “It’s not a star and the Rincts aren’t a violent people.”

Lance immediately backpedals and tries to explain. Hunk chimes in to help and Coran appears fascinated. Shiro listens absently as he continues to examine the data they’ve been gathering. Hunk is right, in Shiro’s opinion. The Rincts obviously don’t want to be found. If things are as Allura and Coran thinks they are, they’ve done a good job of staying under the radar and avoiding the war. Shiro doesn’t love the idea of trying to convince them they need to get involved.

But Allura is right too. They need all the help they can get. And if the Rincts are truly as capable as Coran insists, they really would be a huge asset. Especially considering their ability to make an entire planet disappear.

Keith is the only who hasn’t said anything, and hasn’t for quite a while now, and Shiro glances his way to check in. He finds Keith staring down at three datapads, frowning in concentration. Shiro watches as Keith worries at his lower lip, sucking it into his mouth and letting his teeth catch as he taps at something on one screen before letting out a quiet sigh that Shiro can feel, even if he can’t hear it.

Keith glances up then, and he and Shiro lock eyes. Keith’s mouth quirks as he flicks a look at Pidge and Lance, who have started bickering over the practicality of a ship the size of a planet, and Shiro lets out a quiet huff of fond amusement.

But Shiro can also tell how worn Keith is by the slope of his shoulders, how he closes his eyes for just a beat too long before he opens them again to go back to poking at his screens. Of course, out of all of them, Keith would be the last one to complain or let his fatigue show.

Shiro interrupts as the death star conversation turns into discourse over what determines something being a planet.

“Look. We’ve been working on this for hours. We’ve made a little bit of headway today, but we’ll probably get more done once we’ve slept.” He glances at Allura. “Coming back to this with a clear head might help us approach things from another angle.” Even if he’s said something to the same affect for the past three days.

Allura sighs but nods. “It might. Very well. Let us take a break.”

Pidge and Hunk calibrate their sensors to work through the sleep cycle as Allura and Coran take their leave, heads together. Shiro bids everyone goodnight as they trickle out, then bends back over his datapads.

It’s late and Shiro is tired. His shoulder hurts and he’s got the beginnings of a headache, and he’s so fucking sick of looking at coordinates and patterns but he’s also in a rhythm and he’s _close_ to something. He can feel it. Just a little longer. He may have been the one to suggest they all turn in, but Shiro just wants to finish what he’s doing.

There’s a clatter, and Shiro jerks up to find that everyone else did not, in fact, go to bed. Keith is still in the room, bent over to retrieve the datapad he’d dropped on the floor. “Sorry.” His voice is quiet. Drained.

“It’s okay.” Shiro eyes him. “What are you still doing up?”

There’s a stubborn set to Keith’s jaw when he answers, “working. Just like you are.”

Shiro glances down at the information he has spread in front of him, then back up at Keith. He’s fairly swaying where he sits, and Shiro watches Keith’s eyes slid shut and fingers go slack around the datapad before he shakes himself awake again. He blearily looks up at Shiro through his bangs, and Shiro can see the words _I can keep going if you can keep going_ spinning tired circles.

Shiro gets to his feet. His work can wait a few more hours.

“Come on,” he says holding a hand out to Keith. 

Keith blinks at Shiro’s hand for a moment too long, and god, he must be exhausted. Shiro berates himself as he pulls Keith to his feet, steadying him as he stumbles. How did he not realize that Keith was still here? He knew Keith was tired. How did Shiro manage to miss that Keith was forcing himself to stay up with him?

“Let’s go,” he murmurs, pressing a hand to the small of Keith’s back to lead him into the hall. “We’ve both been up too long.”

“Oh,” Keith says faintly, leaning into him. “Yeah, okay.”

They walk in silence toward Keith’s room. It allows Shiro to feel the warm press of Keith at his side, a comfort like it always is. It’s a comfort that he tries not to indulge in too often anymore, because touching Keith always leads to wanting to _keep_ touching Keith. Shiro has so much blood on his hands now. He doesn’t want to leave red fingerprints.

When they reach Keith’s door, Shiro keys in the code, because he knows it and Keith is practically asleep where he stands. He guides Keith to the bed and gently pushes him to sit down. “Shoes off.”

Keith mumbles an assent and obediently does so, movements clumsy with how tired he is. He also struggles out of his belt and jacket at Shiro’s prompting, and when they’re off, he turns his face back up to Shiro, eyes glazed but seeking approval.

“There you go,” Shiro murmurs, allowing himself to brush Keith’s bangs out of his eyes. “Good job.” He sucks in a breath at Keith’s quiet, pleased little noise, eyes sliding shut as he seeks out Shiro’s metal palm. Only ever honest, and even more so now, open and unguarded from fatigue.

It gives Shiro pause, even among the pleasure, and maybe it’s because he’s tired too, but he lets his hand trail down, let his fingers curl around the back of Keith’s neck and slide through his hair. He watches entranced as Keith’s lips part, his eyes still closed, face open and soft and _sweet_ and–

He makes himself pull away. As he does so, Keith makes a tiny, desperate sound and tries to chase his touch. 

The sudden pounding of his heart is loud in his ears, but Shiro makes sure his voice is even and steady. “Alright, under the covers. You need your sleep.”

Keith goes easily, mumbling a good night, and Shiro gives into the urge to tuck him in before picking up the jacket, belt, and knife holster and putting them away. He even lines up Keith’s shoes. Making excuses to stay.

He can’t get that pained whimper out of his head. 

When Shiro eventually forces himself to leave, his thoughts continue to turn over and over in his mind as he makes his way back to his own room. He knows that Keith is sensitive to touch. It’s something Shiro has always been aware of. Back when they first met, it wasn’t a good sensitivity. Keith flinched whenever someone raised a hand in his direction, and his whole body stiffened when someone reached for his shoulder or patted him on the back. It was slowly, so slowly that he thawed with Shiro.

Since then, he’s watched Keith get better at accepting touch from certain people he trusts, and it’s with no small amount of pride that Shiro is seeing Keith grow into someone who knows when to offer touch to others when needed. Hugs with Hunk, a fistbump with Pidge, the occasional high-five with Lance. 

But as Shiro gets ready to turn in, thinking and thinking, he realizes... Keith still doesn't seek touch out for himself. Never for himself.

No. He wracks his brain and remembers that there have been a few times. When Shiro himself was hurt. Dying. When he came back. When Keith needed to feel Shiro was real. Keith clung on and apologized in the same breath, only falling silent when Shiro hushed him and clutched him just as tight.

But those were exceptions. Keith continues to holds himself apart. He goes where he's invited. He doesn't ask. He’s even tentative with Shiro now. Hesitant, as if uncertain that he’s welcome. 

Shiro sits down on bunk and stares down at his hands. It’s true that Shiro used to be freer with his touches. He was open and welcoming and ready to encourage, and even if he was more careful with Keith, making sure not to overstep or overwhelm, he never used to hold himself apart from anyone. But now that Shiro has done so much, survived so much, he can’t help but keep his distance from others. He grits his teeth and bears it when he has to socialize, but he’s hypersensitive to potential threats and weapons, locating escape routes in his head, and sizing people up as they shake his hand. His body is both too big and too small, and after nothing but pain and then nothing but _nothing,_ sometimes even a handshake feels like more than he can bear.

Never with Keith though. Keith is _grounding._ He’s all Shiro ever wants, among the buzz of all the other noise. Shiro wants nothing more than to gather Keith up and bury his face in Keith’s neck. That’s exactly why Shiro has tried to keep a little distance. 

But Keith soaks up affection like he’s parched for it, he always has, even as he goes through life never expecting, never demanding. And it’s not just touch--that additional thought comes to Shiro unbidden. He seeks kindness. He orbits around it like a moth to flame, but doesn’t reach out as if scared of being burned. 

Keith’s always reacted to kindness with surprise. Sometimes even suspicion. But when he warmed up to Shiro, the surprise got colored with pleasure. Especially when receiving praise. It was like his whole body lit up with it, and he would look almost shy for a few shocked moments before he brushed it off or came up with a cocky reply. 

Shiro has spent so long caught up in single-minded survival, holding himself apart because he doesn’t deserve anything more than that, not after everything he’s done... he just now realizes, with dawning horror, that he hasn’t seen that shy, pleased little smile in a while.

He’s been denying Keith that. Denying him something that he clearly needs and has been _missing._

Shiro grits his teeth. Keith is so good. Keith is _so_ good, in so many ways, and he deserves to be appreciated and praised and held when he wants to be. And Shiro knows Keith trusts him implicitly. Keith trusts so few, but he trusts Shiro. The knowledge burns sometimes, that Shiro is in such a position to hurt him. Because he has hurt Keith, and could do so again so easily.

Like right now. 

Keith, who works so hard, who has had to fight for everything he has, has always believed in Shiro. And Shiro has been leaving Keith to chase after the tiniest scraps of affection because Keith doesn’t feel comfortable asking for what he needs. Even tonight, Keith only let his guard down enough to show how much he was hurting because he was exhausted. He was hiding his pain from Shiro. Someone he _trusts._

Shiro’s furious with himself. What else hasn’t he noticed, too caught up in his own guilt?

His head pounds, reminding him that he needs sleep, so he curls up on his bunk to the unbidden memory of Keith, face soft and relaxed, nuzzling into the palm of Shiro’s hand. Shiro wants that. Wants Keith to get what he needs. Maybe it’s partially his own selfishness, that he revels in the idea that _he_ could be the one to give that to him. 

Shiro would do anything to make Keith happy. To do what’s best for him.

Thoughts go hazy as he drifts. He could make it a goal. He’s always liked those. Goals give him something to work towards. Not having one has left him adrift. Since Keberos his only goal has been to survive, but he hates that goal as much as he clings to it. Survival isn’t a purpose. It isn’t a future. It doesn’t help him with what comes next.

But Keith has said that he would never give up on Shiro. That he would save him as many times as it takes.

A future with Keith in it, working to make sure Keith is safe and comfortable and cared for... 

That’s a good goal to have. 

Even just thinking it makes something settle within him. This is a _purpose._ A worthy, important purpose that’s past just surviving. Give Keith what he deserves. 

The thought spreads through him warm and slow. He likes it. This is something Shiro can maybe do. It’s something he _wants_ to do. And he likes that it’s multi-faceted. There are layers to Keith, so there are layers to what would make him happy and be good for him.

Shiro is tired though, and that requires more thought that he’s up to right now. 

But god, it gives him something to look _forward_ to. He’s already smiling a little at the thought of waking up again.

***

He only wakes up twice during the night, which is pretty good for him. When it’s a reasonable time to get up, he does his exercises, then showers and dresses. A simple routine, and one that changes sometimes as he varies his exercises, but he concentrates on every motion. He’s able to control his routine. Having control is important.

Once he’s dressed though, his brain turns back on, going through the list of things he needs to do. There’s the general mundane of basic living, like the fact that he needs to eat breakfast. There’s the task of the day, which is continuing to work on the Rinct project. And, for the first time since he was put in the arena, his to-do list includes something that isn’t just “survive and make it to tomorrow.” Underlined and highlighted is _pay attention to Keith._ The ultimate goal is _take care of Keith and make him happy_ but that’s something that will take time to achieve and then will require continued upkeep. He can’t wait to get started. 

He finds himself humming as he walks to the kitchens, feeling lighter than he has in a long time. Even though his other goal is “saving the universe,” it hasn’t been _enough._ Despite intending to do everything he can to accomplish it, it’s so open-ended and vast it’s almost not a goal at all. Just a way of being. With no light at the end, and nothing for him after, whether or not they win or lose the war. Keith is so much more _real._ Real and warm and alive, and so incredibly special.

The kitchens are empty when he gets there, which is pretty typical. They try to have communal lunches and dinners, but breakfast routines have gotten a little loser. Everyone takes their rest where they can get it. Shiro just isn’t able to sleep for long stretches of time anymore, and staying still in bed makes him antsy. Even though some of the others are early risers, he’s usually alone for a while before someone else wanders in.

He likes it though. Likes the hum of the ship and the noise he makes as he puts a plate together. Having the freedom to take what food he wants, and to take enough of it, and not having to look over his shoulder. Shuffling through the various ingredients that they’ve collected as they travel, the interesting cups and plates they’ve bought as things catch their eye--it gives him solitude without making him feel _alone._

Shiro sits down with his plate and waits a moment before he takes a bite. Another routine. He had had to reteach himself to eat slowly, after his captivity, and it’s a personal victory that he is able to take his time again. A reminder of his autonomy. He is able to make his own choices, even within the requirements of everyday necessity.

He starts to eat, thoughts turning back to the task at hand.

The important thing with goals, Shiro knows, is that in order to reach them, you need to divide and conquer. Break the big one up into more bite-sized, achievable pieces. In order to be a pilot, you need to physically fit. Physical fitness requires an exercise program. An exercise programs requires you to know how bodies work and to know how your own body works. Then, once you have your exercises, you do them. One by one by one.

So. How would he best take care of Keith? What are those steps?

Obviously the first step, the one that is most crucial, is to ignore his own guilt and stop being a self-sacrificing idiot. It isn’t that Shiro needs to be smarter or faster or stronger (though he has to be, he always has to be--)

For Keith, Shiro needs to be present. Leaving Keith is what hurt him most. Continuing to neglect him is… the thought is acrid. So he’ll be better. 

For Keith, he can be better.

He wants to do what’s _best_ for Keith, and it looks like right now, only Shiro can give him what he needs. Taking care of Keith properly then, would look a little like this:

  1. Do what is best for Keith. This includes ensuring his health, comfort, and safety.
  2. Make Keith happy 
    1. Shiro already knows Keith responds well to praise and touch.



And then, of note:

  1. Attempting to sacrifice himself or keep his distance does not actually fulfill rule #1, because it conflicts with rule #2



That’s a good start. Good general subsets of what he’s setting out to do.

Shiro taps his fork against his lips. Everything else will come as he learns.

He’s good at paying attention when it matters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith says _I don’t care_ and means _don’t worry about me, I don’t matter._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE IT'S EVEN A LITTLE LONGER BYE

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pidge is bent over the tracker she’s built, muttering under her breath when Shiro goes to get back to work. “Nothing?”

Pidge glares at her machine. “Nothing! How does an entire planet just  _ disappear?” _

Shiro shrugs. At this point he’ll believe anything can happen in space. “If they have a way to keep from being found…”

“But it’s a  planet! It’s got to have--have some sort of energy signature. An ozone layer. Carbon emissions. Something!”

Shiro sighs. “I wish I knew what to tell you.”

Pidge adjusts her glasses. “D’you think Allura and Coran are wrong?”

“Wrong about what?”

“About Rinct.”

“What do you mean?”

Pidge looks away. “I was thinking more about what Lance said. About the death star. You can’t find a planet that literally isn’t there. And we know the Galra are capable. Of that.”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think they’d send us on a wild goose chase like this either.”

She frowns, arms crossed. 

“I’ll talk to Allura about how much time we can really spend here,” Shiro says. “We can’t spend weeks on this. And she’ll understand that.”

“Yeah…”

Shiro has just bent over his own datapads when the door slides open and Keith all but runs in, skidding to a stop when he sees Shiro and Pidge already in the room. “Pidge!”

“What?”

“What if the Rinct planet really is like that death star thing?”

She blinks at him. “What?”

“Keith?” Shiro asks. Keith looks excited but uncertain. It’s an expression Shiro has seen before, when Keith isn’t sure if his idea is a good one but wants it to be. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know anything about star wars,” Keith says in a rush. “But when you and Lance were arguing yesterday, you were talking about how that ship was kind of like the size of a planet, right?”

“Um. Yeah?”

“And… and we know that the Rincts can make their planet disappear. And that it moves.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So what if it’s a ship?”

“Wait, what?”

Keith looks to Shiro, eyes pleading. “What if it’s a ship? We don’t actually know how big ships can get, right? And if it  _ were _ a ship, it could be capable of cloaking and moving, couldn’t it? And that might be why none of our trackers are working. If we’re looking for something biological instead of mechanical--the Lions are sentient, but they don’t  _ read _ that way. Right?”

Pidge’s eyes get really round, and she practically dives at her tracker. “We’d need to calibrate for different things. We wouldn’t know what metals but–”

“Emissions?” Shiro asks, standing up. 

“We know it isn’t carbon, I’m already checking for that.”

“What about heat?” Keith says. “Space is cold. A ship has to run on some sort of energy. Are there any pockets of heat around, that aren’t connected to stars?”

Pidge turns back to the tracker and, when Hunk comes in a moment later, starts yelling excited orders at him.

“What’s going on?” Lance asks, following at Hunks heels, Allura right behind him. “Did we find something?”

Pidge fixes her gaze on Allura and starts asking questions about Rinct technology.

Shiro’s mouth tucks up and he leaves them all to it. If nothing else, Keith’s idea has gotten them out of the tired funk of yesterday.

For his part, he goes up next to Keith and wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in and paying more attention to how still Keith holds himself. Not frozen or uncomfortable, but holding his breath to see how long he'll get before Shiro pulls away and leaves him colder.

Shiro stays close. Keith is warm underneath his arm, and the longer Shiro stays pressed against him, the more Keith starts to relax. Muscles lose some of their tension. His breathing evens out. Shiro is giving him something he needs, even as Keith gives Shiro something even more precious; his trust. 

Pleasure curls in his gut at that thought.

“That was a good idea,” Shiro murmurs, giving Keith a little squeeze.

Keith looks up at him, breath seeming to catch at the approval before his eyes dart to the side. He still barely moves. “Well, we’ll see if it was worth anything.”

“Regardless, it was a good idea. None of us even considered that possibility.”

A quiet laugh. “Thanks. Maybe between Hunk and Pidge we’ll actually--” 

He’s interrupted by a loud beeping noise.

“We found something!” Pidge near-shrieks before she and Hunk dive back into shouting numbers at each other. Then, “Allura, check this out!” 

Shiro gives Keith another squeeze and tells him how proud he is before letting him go. Mostly to get out of the way of Pidge and Hunk and Lance going in for a dogpile.

Keith flushes and his smile is blinding. 

It’s a good start.

***

Allura works to send out signals and a message to the Rinct planet-ship to let them know that they’re an Altean ally coming in peace. It’s the only thing they can do, really. They can’t (and don’t want to) chase the ship down. If they do, the chances of the Rinct gunning it and taking off again is pretty high. Not to mention that they probably won’t be amenable to a random ship attempting to make contact without granted access.

Since there isn’t much for the rest of them to do, they split up again to do their own thing. Keith, Shiro knows, heads to the training deck. He’d be following himself, but he wants to be with Allura in the event she makes contact.

It takes several tries and some more waiting, but eventually their screen flickers with sound waves, though no pictures. There is still no ship or planet to be seen.

“State your business.”

Allura and Shiro glance at each other, and he nods at her. Altean probably means more than human, to the Rinct.

“I am Princess Allura of Altea,” Allura says, shoulders straight and voice even. “I’ve come in peace to request aid in our fight against the Galran Empire.”

“Request denied. End transmiss--”

“Wait–! Please! Why?”

“We detect Galran DNA aboard your ship. No Galra are welcome here.”

“Wait.” Shiro’s the one to talk this time. “You can detect DNA?”

“Correct.”

It’s probably a gamble, but “Can you detect how  much?”

There is a pause. “One individual, approximately fifty percent.”

“Shiro,” Allura whispers, too quiet for the radio to pick up. “What are you doing?”

“If they’re talking to us at all, it’s because they’re curious. They wouldn’t have even made contact otherwise.” Louder he says, “Correct. We have one half-Galra aboard. He is an ally fighting with us against the empire.”

“Preposterous. There is no such thing as a good Galra.”

_ Oh yeah? Well, you haven’t hung up yet. _ “Then I guess we’re done here, aren’t we.”

“Shiro!” Allura whispers furiously. He holds up a hand and she falls silent. The connection hasn’t been cut.

The silence is loud, broken by the occasional static feedback. 

Then, “You have two Altean members on your crew.”

_ Jackpot.  _ “That’s true.”

“They are working with the Galran crew member willingly.” It’s got an uncertain edge, not quite a question.

“Correct,” Allura rushes to say. “Myself and my advisor Coran can vouch that Keith is a great ally to our cause.”

Shiro’s lips tighten for a moment before he forces himself to relax. Allura and Keith have made peace with each other about Keith’s origins, but at times like this, Shiro still can’t help but remember Allura’s initial reaction. Even after everything Keith had already done.

It’s not exactly a grudge, and it’s probably stupid to hold onto the unhappy feelings. He’s forgiven Allura for hurting Keith, if only because it was such a relief to Keith when she’d started treating him civilly again. But Shiro can’t quite forget, especially when she uses it politically.

He understands though. And he respects Allura. Considers her a friend and trusts her with his life. She tries to do the right thing.

“The Galran will be placed under watch while the Alteans are questioned and scanned for signs of distress.”

“What kind of watch?” Shiro asks.

“Peaceful. No harm will come to him if he is truly on our side.”

Allura and Shito exchange glances. “We’d like some time to discuss this.”

“We will grant you half a varga.”

“Fine.”

“We will initiate contact at that time. End transmission.” The signal cuts out.

Shiro goes to check the scanners. They’re detecting  _ something  _ in the area, but there's nothing specific. If the Rinct want to be gone, they'll have no trouble.

He doesn't like this, but it's not unexpected. “Okay,” he says. “Let's go have a talk.”

***

“Oh.” Keith says woodenly when everyone's together and the stipulations are revealed. His shoulders are stiff, fingers of one hand digging into his thigh. “Okay. Sure.” 

“I dunno,” Hunk says hesitantly. “I don't think that sounds good. Do you guys?”

“They said he wouldn't be hurt or anything,” Lance says, but he also sounds uncertain.

“The Rinct are a peaceful people,” Coran puts in. “I would trust their word.”

Keith shrugs, crossing his arms. He probably intends it to make him look decisive, but to Shiro it mostly makes Keith look like he's holding onto himself for comfort. “It's fine. I already said I'd do it. If you guys really think they'll be that important to the coalition, then it's worth it to get them on our side.”

Shiro sidles up next to Keith and places a hand on the back of his neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We won’t let you go in alone.”

“Yes,” Allura says decisively. “That will be our condition. We will all be allowed escorts. That way we’ll have back-up even if there is an issue. But hopefully there will be no need for that.”

“Sure, whatever.” Keith shrugs again. He doesn’t move to dislodge Shiro’s hand until he says, “I’m going to go back to training if you don’t need me anymore.”

Shiro isn’t about to let Keith retreat to be miserable. Keith has worked hard to accept himself and his heritage. Anything that tries to step on that victory makes Shiro’s teeth ache. “I’ll come too.”

Keith glances up at him through his bangs. “Okay.”

The walk to the training room is silent, and once the door slides shut behind them, Keith immediately moves to the floor and starts to stretch his legs. It makes it easy for him to not look at Shiro when he says, “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. I get why people don’t want to trust me. I don’t care.”

It’s so clear that he does. From this angle Shiro can still see the hurt frown that plays across Keith’s face as he tries to shove away his feelings. Keith says _I don’t care_ and means _don’t worry about me, I don’t matter._

Shiro goes to kneel behind Keith, pressing his hands to his back and gently pushing forward to help with the stretch. “Just because we both understand why there is a stigma doesn’t mean the stigma doesn’t hurt.”

Keith huffs and breathes into the stretch, letting himself go lax under Shiro’s hands. “Maybe.” He sounds mulish. Shiro can picture him pushing out his lower lip.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re wrong and we’ll prove it, we’ll get what we need, and we’ll go on our way.” 

Keith exhales, muscles moving under Shiro’s hands, and doesn’t say anything. 

Shiro releases the stretch and lets Keith up, but he doesn’t stop touching him once Keith has straightened out, instead moving his hands to Keith’s shoulders and kneading there. “And you won’t be alone. For this stupid quarantine thing. I’ll be with you.”

Now Keith turns to look at him, brow furrowed. “That doesn’t make any sense. You should be with Allura and Coran.”  _ They’re the important ones, _ he’s not saying.  _ They deserve being taken care of. _

“Sorry,” Shiro says lightly. “Made up my mind. Besides, Lance’ll be ecstatic to be assigned Allura protection detail.”

Keith snorts a laugh. “We can’t call it that.”

“Altean Bodyguard Squad.”

Keith rolls his eyes.

“Hey, come on! That was good.”

“It was terrible. You weren’t even trying.”

Shiro chuckles as he continues to work on Keith’s back, savoring how Keith’s eyes fall closed. The mood in the room is lighter now, and that’s all that Shiro wanted. 

***

Shiro will admit that the reveal of the Rinct planet-ship is awe-inspiring. For all that he’s annoyed with them as a whole, having nothing but the empty blackness of space and stars suddenly flicker and then fill with a  _ planet _ , all greens and reds and yellows… it’s a marvel Shiro is grateful he has gotten to see. This is why he wanted to explore. This is why he cared about what was out there.

But by his side Keith is stiff with tension, and there is a voice reminding them again as they dock that the Alteans and the Galra are to be separated. 

When Shiro and Allura had let the Rinct know that they agreed to the questioning, they had laid out their conditions and negotiated. The agreement was that Allura and Coran would be allowed accompaniment and that Keith also had permission for one companion. However, the two groups would not be able to communicate with each other or see how the other was doing until questioning was complete, and that condition was non-negotiable. The Rinct reasoned that if Keith had Allura under his thumb, knowing that they were still being monitored wouldn’t give her the option to speak freely.

While Shiro hadn’t liked it, he’d had to admit the point.

There are seven beings waiting for them when they all exit the ship and, well... Shiro’s first thought is that they look like large mechanical squids. It’s… very unsettling.

One slides--glides? forward, four of its tentacles curling toward them and then back into itself. It’s three silver eyes glimmer. “Princess. Paladins. Welcome to planet Rinct.”

“Thank you,” Allura says. “We all appreciate you giving us a chance to talk.”

“I am Korvak. I will accompany you and your companions to a safe space for questioning.”

Allura nods. “As agreed.”

Another Rinct turns and looks directly at Keith, tentacles curling and uncurling. “Galra DNA detected.”

Keith’s lips tighten. “Yeah,” he says. “That’d be me.”

“I am Velry. I will be separating you from the others.”

“Right. I know.”

“And me,” Shiro puts in, stepping forward. “We’re together.”

Velry’s tentacles circle around its body. “I see. Very well. We will go.”

“Be safe,” Allura tells them as Korvak and three of the other Rinct start to lead them away.

“You too,” Shiro says before he turns his attention to the three Rinct he and Keith are facing.

“Follow please." Velry begins to glide forward. Shiro notices that there are grooves all over the walls and floor, and, when he looks closer, he sees Velry’s tentacles dip into those grooves as it moves. An anchor? Keith and Shiro exchange a glance and then begin to walk, the other two Rinct taking up the rear.

They don’t go very far. Through a doorway, down a short hall, and through another doorway and then they’re in a small room. There are several large, cup-shaped pillars in the room, about waist height. When the door closes behind them, the two unnamed Rinct each flow into one of the pillars, curling up and settling within the cup. Chairs, Shiro realizes. They’re chairs built for Rinct bodies. The part of him fascinated with learning new things finds this incredibly interesting.

The rest of him is concentrated solely on making sure Keith is as okay as he can possibly be, considering the circumstances. 

The chairs are spaced rather far apart, and Shiro doesn’t really want to move any of them. But they’re plenty big enough for two humans to share, even if Shiro is a pretty large human. 

He grabs Keith’s hand and leads him over to one of the cups. It’s more centered in the room and gives him a clear view of the door and the three Rinct, “Let’s just try to take it easy,” he murmurs. Big words for someone currently playing out fight scene possibilities in his own head, working to allow for three opponents who all have several more limbs than he does. But even if Shiro can’t help it and sometimes wishes he weren’t so hyper-aware, always being on guard has saved him more than once. Besides, it’s not just Shiro who is a prisoner right now. 

His hand tightens around Keith’s own before he forces himself to relax his fingers.

Keith looks over at him, expression clearly showing that he knows exactly what Shiro is thinking. He’s the one who ends up pulling Shiro down with him to sit in a chair cup, then pressing up against his side. Unspoken protection and support. In this together.

God, Shiro is so amazingly lucky to have Keith on his side and at his back.

There is silence before Velry turns to Keith. It does an odd shimmy type swivel with the upper half of its body. “You do not appear Galra.” It’s not quite a question, but the undercurrent is there.

Keith shrugs. “I’m half-human. Thought I was all human until recently.”

“This is to mean you were not aware of your Galra DNA.” 

“Right. No idea.”

Velry, shifts, tentacles coiling around it, and emits a faint buzzing sound that for a more humanoid creature might be interpreted as a thoughtful hum. Its eyes focus on Shiro. “You are human. Humans originate from the planet Earth.”

Shiro isn’t sure how he feels about these questions posed as statements. “That’s correct.”

“Please explain how you came to know of the Galra.”

“His name’s Keith,” Shiro says trying to sound mild. “Mine is Shiro. You gave us your name and we’ll address you by it. We’d appreciate it if you gave us the same courtesy.”

One tentacle wiggles side to side as if in acknowledgement. Rinct body language is unlike anything Shiro has experienced so far. “That is a reasonable request. Explain how you came to know of Keith.”

“You mean how we met?”

“Negative. How you came to know of him.”

Shiro glances at Keith then back to Velry, trying to parse the question. The best he can come up with is, “If you’re asking me when I found out about Keith being half-Galra, we both learned about it at roughly the same time. Up until then we both thought he was fully human. There was no reason for us to think otherwise. Earth doesn’t get a lot of non-human visitors.”

Another tentacle wiggle. “So you reacted well to learning Keith was not human.”

“I like to think I did.” It’s not small talk. Shiro knows an interrogation when he’s a part of one. But he’s got no reason to care that it’s happening. Keith is one of the best things in Shiro’s life. It’s easy to be honest about that.

Velry’s eyes blink. “False statement.”

“Excuse me?”

“You just made a false statement. You said, paraphrase quote, ‘you like to think you reacted well to discovering Keith was Galra’ end quote. However, the change in your biochemistry indicated that this is not what you truly believe.”

Shiro startles at that, but even worse--he can feel Keith freeze beside him and pull away. Gears start turning as quickly as possible to try to come up with a response to this information. That the Rinct can track biochemistry in a way that can detect untruths. That Keith’s face is currently shutting down in an awful mixture of shock and hurt.

That Shiro obviously needs to say a few things differently.

“It wasn’t a false statement because I cared that Keith was Galra,” Shiro says, picking at his words. “Because I don’t care.”

“False sta–”

“I don’t care in a way that matters,” Shiro says with finality. “I don’t think any less of him. He has my utmost trust and my utmost respect. Him being Galra doesn’t change the fact that he’s one of the most important people in my life.”

A pause, then, “All true. Very well.”

Next to him though, Keith is still solid ice. Shiro is desperate to have him unthaw. He wants to wrap his arms around Keith and pull him close to warm him, but first he has to undo the damage of his initial ‘false statement.’ “In regards to what I said before, that was just my way of glossing over a lot of different feelings and emotions. I processed them all, and the conclusion I came to in the end was that Keith being Galra is an aspect of who he is, yes, but he’s just Keith to me.” Shiro inches over, closer to Keith, without quite touching. He sighs internally when Keith relaxes back against him. “Just Keith,” he says again softly. “And he’s so incredibly special.”

Keith bites his lip, eyes darting away, and Shiro gets to watch in real time as his cheeks redden. “Yeah well,” Keith mumbles, still not looking at him. “Same to you.”

Shiro chuckles and this time does give into the need to sling an arm around Keith’s shoulders, scooting even closer until Keith is pressed up all along Shiro’s side. Keith lets out a quiet, barely-there exhale and flashes him a tentative smile before they both as one turn back to giving the Rinct their full attention.

Velry glides a little closer, head tilted. “All true. This is interesting. Please state when you claimed ownership of Keith.”

Shiro startles, eyes-widening, and he gets a glimpse of Keith’s own shocked face out of the corner of his eye. “Excuse me?”

Three tentacles wiggle. “You do not understand.”

“That would be a no.”

“Please state what you did not understand.”

“I don’t own Keith,” Shiro says instead, feeling hot. “I don’t own anyone.”

There is a very long pause. Velry sounds almost tentative when it next says, “Ownership offends you.”

“Yes.” He doesn’t growl. 

Keith reaches over and takes Shiro’s hand, threading their fingers together. Shiro breathes out, relishing the touch, using it to ground himself. “I’m okay,” he murmurs. Keith’s safe. He’s safe. Neither of them are in purple. And if any of the Rinct in the room make the wrong move or disparage Keith again, he isn’t sure he’ll be able to control himself. Keith has done so much and worked so hard and  _ bled  _ and  _ sacrificed _ , all for trust and loyalty, and Shiro may be raw and aching but he wouldn’t--he wouldn’t take advantage of that, he wouldn’t, all he wants is to make sure Keith knows how special he is.

Shiro doesn’t want–

His insides are ice. Does he?

“Shiro.” Keith’s voice is soft as he gives Shiro’s hand a squeeze. It snaps him back to reality. Keith always manages to bring Shiro back from the edge of something awful and god, he’s so  _ good–  _

Velry inches forward. “These are recognizable biological reactions. However, they directly conflict with previous statements. Please explain why ownership–”

“Look,” Keith snaps as Shiro tenses up again, “We’re here because you guys don’t trust me. You’re already giving our other teammates the third degree and apparently you can tell when we’re lying. I’m outright saying that unless you try to hurt  _ us _ , I mean your planet no harm. We are literally only here because Allura thinks that your people would be helpful in fighting against our current evil overlords. Which is a fight I’m a part of. On the good side. Is any of what I just said not true?”

Velry and the two other unnamed Rinct all do a complicated tentacle wiggle. “No,” Velry says after several moments. It sounds put-out, like a child that was just reprimanded about bad behavior. “All true statements.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “Yeah. See how easy that was?”

Before anyone else can say anything more, the light in the room flashes red. Both Keith and Shiro leap to their feet and move into defensive positions.

“What’s the alarm for?” Shiro asks carefully. He’s proud of the evenness of his voice considering how wound up he is.

Velry looks up at the light before looking back to Shiro. “There is no alarm. You are agitated. Please explain.” 

“The–” Shiro gestures at the room at large. “The red light.”

“That was an indicator that the questioning of your comrades has come to an end and that what you said appears to be true.”

Shiro falters, arms dropping. “Oh. Red is a positive color here?” 

Velry appears confused. Or as confused as a squid can be. “Your statement makes it seem as though red is not positive for you humans, but your Keith wears red.”

Shiro can’t quite bring himself to say  _ he’s not my Keith.  _ “You’re right,” he says instead. “It isn’t that red is a bad color for humans. We just tend to use it for things that need immediate attention, since for us it’s an eye-catching color.”

“I see. I understand why you put your Keith in red. Please expla--”

“If questioning is over, we’d like to see our teammates,” Shiro interrupts, probably a little ruder than he should be considering he wants the Rinct on their side. “We want to make sure they’re alright.”

“Very well,” Velry says sounding sulky.

The doors slide open again, and Shiro and Keith exchange a glance before they follow Velry out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot. it thickens. mweeheehee.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro falters. “We like privacy, but there are plenty of people who are very close and enjoy being close even at rest. Do the Rinct have relationships like that?” 
> 
> “Yes.” Denril’s eyes flick toward Shiro and it does not elaborate.
> 
> Okay, fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! I'm so glad you are liking this so far.

“You guys are okay!” Hunk cries, rushing forward to grab Keith up into a hug. Keith stiffens briefly before he relaxes into it, patting Hunk on the back.

“Yup. Nothing to worry about.”

“Their tech is _crazy,_ ” Pidge says. “I can’t wait to dive in.”

“So things went well for you all?” Shiro asks. He knows that it must have gone positively, otherwise current circumstances would be very different, but no harm in getting verbal confirmation. 

“Indeed!” Coran says. “Oh, it’s just as I remember. Such to-the-point precision!”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” Lance makes a face. “Because personally I’d say rude and pushy.”

Allura sighs. “Regardless. It’s over now and they’ve agreed to talk with us more and lend assistance.”

“Okay,” Shiro says. “That’s something.”

“Yes,” Allura says. “It’s what we hoped.” She pauses, then adds, “Since primarily we have questions concerning their cloaking and tracking technology, Hunk and Pidge will be the best utilized here.” 

Hunk and Pidge both grin and fistbump. 

“Right!” Pidge says. “Science for the win.”

Shiro nods. “So what’s the plan, exactly?”

Rinct, it turns out, has a sort of three-pronged structure of “sciences.” Technological, biological, and sociological. It was why they were such an efficient society when it came to resources… and learning about others, as well as hiding in plain sight. Allura wants to stay on Rinct for long enough to run scans and diagnostics on certain technologies and get samples of others. She already had Hunk and Pidge for technological, and Coran had recruited Lance to work with him and the biological Rinct scientists. 

That left Shiro and Keith and sociological.

“Velry and Korvak are two of the most esteemed members of the field,” Allura explains. “Apparently Velry was very interested in continuing to work with you two.”

Keith narrows his eyes and Shiro just barely holds back his groan. 

Great.

***

More bad luck as far as Shiro is concerned: Korvak, who appears to be one of the leaders, suggests that they stay grounded on Rinct instead of going back to their own ship in between interactions. Better to have uninterrupted communication or whatever. The Rinct are happy to provide rooms, and Hunk has already gotten into a conversation with another couple of Rinct about meals. They all troop back to their ship to grab clothes and stuff for at least a couple overnights, which also gives Hunk and Pidge opportunity to collect tech. 

Once back outside, they rejoin their Rinct escorts and Hunk detaches again to discuss food with a familiar gleam in his eye. He fires up the scanner he and Pidge created that determines degrees of edibleness and happily goes to town. Lance gets tugged along with him, since he’s on the “biological” team.

“I will show you to your housing,” a Rinct who was introduced as Denril says to the rest of them. “Paladins Hunk and Lance will be shown to housing once they are satisfied with meal preparation.” It goes on to further explain that the dock they landed in for questioning is some sort of central hub for the planet, a little like an embassy. Because of this, there is a building that is essentially a hotel very close by.

They exit the embassy. Outside of it is… nature.

Shiro doesn’t know why he is surprised. Even though it’s really a ship, with Rinct being as big as it is, it makes sense that there is a natural component. That’s the basis of all survival. 

He squints up at the sky, trying to make out the ceiling. It’s very high up, and very bright, and really does seem to open up to atmosphere. Then again, if they can make a planet disappear in space, why not make the “sky” look natural?

“Verly instructed me on housing customs,” Denril says as it leads them to a large, domed building that really is just across the street. Said street is lined with little blue and silver bubbles. Shiro pokes at one with his toe and it jiggles. “Please explain the need for separate quarters among human and Altean teammates.”

“Privacy, mostly.” Allura says after a beat. “And it can be nice to have your own space.”

“Humans and Alteans both often live in shared housing.”

“That’s true,” Shiro says. He thinks he’s starting to get the hang of answering unasked questions. “But at least for rest, we mostly like to have our own rooms.”

“Please explain mostly.”

“Uh,” Shiro falters. “We like privacy, but there are plenty of people who are very close and enjoy being close even at rest. Do the Rinct have relationships like that?” 

“Yes.” Denril’s eyes flick toward Shiro and it does not elaborate.

Okay, fine.

The hotel is a big circle inside, with a large tube in the middle. “I will show you to your separate quarters,” Denril says, gliding over to the tube. “You will have a rest period of two vargas and then a meal. Please continue to follow.” Then it glides straight up the tube.

Shiro exchanges a dubious look with everyone else and pokes his head inside the tube. There are the same grooves all along the sides of it. Probably that’s how Rinct get up and down. Well if nothing else, it looks climbable. The grooves are big enough to act as hand and footholds.

“Alright,” he says. “Guess let’s go.”

“I’ll go first,” Keith volunteers, stepping forward. Offering to scout. Shiro’s lips twist. He wants to go first and make sure the scene is safe. But defending the rear is also important.

Keith holds his gaze and Shiro nods. “Okay.”

A flash of a grin, and then Keith is clambering up the tube. Allura goes next, then Coran, Pidge, and Shiro brings up the rear.

One by one, Denril shows each of them to a room. It skips a door between Allura and Pidge, stating that it is for Hunk, and the room next to Coran is designated Lance’s, clearly giving each of them easiest access to their team subset. Which means that Shiro and Keith will be right next to each other. At least that’s one positive.

Delrin uses a tentacle to open yet another door and gestures inside. “For paladins Shiro and Keith.”

Keith beats Shiro to the question. “Wait, why are we sharing? No one else is sharing.”

Three of Delrin’s tentacles wiggle. Shiro’s been trying to pay attention to Rinct body language and remembers Velry doing the same thing when asked a question it was uncertain about. “Velry’s observations indicated that this arrangement would be the most suitable.”

“What does that mean?” Shiro demands. “What observations?”

There is a pause.

“Velry did not provide detailed explanation,” Denril says at last, sounding reluctant.

Shiro crosses his arms, smelling a workaround of his question. “Did Velry provide explanation that wasn’t detailed?”

Another pause, and then Denril focuses on Keith. “You are Galra.”

Keith nods warily, taken aback by the non sequitur. “Yeah?”

“Galra are pack creatures.”

“Uh. No? I mean, yes. Maybe?” He frowns. “What does that have to do with anything?”

One of Delrin’s tentacles flick in Shiro’s direction before stilling. “Separation can cause distress. Velry did not wish to distress you.”

Keith shoots Shiro a look of equal parts yes, distress--and agitation. “Just because I’m Galra doesn’t mean I need–”

"It’s fine,” Shiro interrupts, because within that sentence he had detected a note of actual fear. He remembers how Velry could detect their biological reactions, and how Velry is also apparently an expert in socialization

Keith does need. And he’s scared to admit it.

The fury Shiro had felt with himself slams back into him, but he is able to keep his voice mild. “It’s fine,” he says again. He makes eye contact with Keith, expression exasperated but like they’re sharing a joke. “We can room together if it’ll make Velry feel better.”

Keith looks torn, but the lines of his body are filled with longing and how was Shiro so _blind._ “Shiro, it’s okay. You deserve your own space.”

Shiro doesn’t want space. He wants Keith with him forever. But even if it’s not about what he wants, the end goal is the same. “We can talk to Velry about it later,” he suggests as a compromise. “But we both could use some rest, and since this is our option right now, might as well take it. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve bunked together.”

Keith opens his mouth. Shiro raises an eyebrow, and Keith averts his eyes. “Fine. Sure.”

One of Denril’s tentacles curls out, then in again. “Excellent. Please enjoy the room.”

“Galra are pack creatures?” Shiro asks once the door slides shut behind them. It’s not something he’s ever thought about. But then again, he hasn’t had as much… positive experience with Galra as Keith has. 

Keith shrugs. “Sort of, I guess? It’s more...” 

“More?” Shiro prompts when Keith doesn’t say anything else. 

Keith shrugs again, obviously uncomfortable. “There’s definitely an instinct to be close to people you’ve... created a bond with. Which I guess means pack, if you wanna call it that.”

Shiro has never needed to know information more immediately. “What kind of instinct?”

“Uh...” Keith rubs the back of his neck, fingers pressing into skin. The movement is unconscious, and Shiro has the sudden, painful thought that it’s less a nervous tic and more simulating comfort touch that Keith needs and hasn’t been getting. “It just. It feels nice to be around people you care about. Feels safe. But–but that’s human too, isn’t it?”

“Sure,” Shiro says easily. “Of course it is. Humans are definitely pack creatures.” 

Keith gets a faraway look in his eye before shaking his head. “But it really doesn’t– I got used to being alone after my da–” he stops. “I don’t need it. Not any more than humans do. Probably less.” He sounds pleading.

Before, Shiro would have stopped himself from reaching out and touching. Taking. But this is for _Keith_ and even if it feels selfish, like he’s taking too much, when Keith lets out a quiet gasp when Shiro slings an arm across Keith’s shoulders, the world seems to right itself.

Shiro gives him a squeeze, knowing he has to tread carefully here. Keith isn’t just smart, he’s brilliant. If he catches on that Shiro’s made his happiness an ultimate priority, he’ll fight it tooth and nail even as it tears him apart, because he’ll think _he’s_ the one taking advantage. He wouldn’t understand he’s given Shiro back a purpose and a reason to look forward to the future.

So instead of pressing a kiss to Keith’s temple and whispering that it’s okay, it’s okay to need, Shiro redirects the subject. “Honestly, it makes me wonder what the Rinct consider themselves. You kind of have to be pack creatures to form functional societies.” And they’d _known_ that humans and alteans were the same. Delrin had even wanted an explanation as to why they all weren’t just rooming together. But the rest of their group hadn’t been essentially forced to share, the way Shiro and Keith had been.

“I bet it was just an excuse Delrin cooked up so I could have a keeper.”

Shiro snorts. “I’d make a terrible keeper.” 

To his surprise, Keith flushes and looks away. “Would not.”

Nonplussed, it takes a moment for Shiro to turn his brain back to strategy. “If the Rinct were that suspicious of you, it would make more sense for them to try to separate you so they could keep you under watch or something. Having us room together is basically giving you extra backup.”

Keith nods, lips pursed.

“You know,” Shiro continues, “in the event you were hatching a devious plot, you should tell me. I’d be an excellent asset. The brains and brawn.”

It startles Keith into a laugh. “If you’re the brains and brawn, what am I, then?”

Shiro grins. “The charm and good looks. Obviously.”

Keith rolls his eyes, and Shiro gives him one more squeeze before stepping away, already missing Keith’s warmth. “You just have to put up with me for a couple of vargas and we’ll talk to Velry about getting this all sorted out when we see them at dinner. Let’s see what Rinct interior design looks like.”

They both move out of the little entryway area and walk further into the room. Shiro’s eyes take in everything at once, assessing and cataloguing. It’s a round room with curved walls and high ceilings, which seems to be a style the planet favors. There are globes circling the room that emit light, revealing a desk-type piece of furniture, several of the pillar-cup chairs, a long, low thing that looks like half a hollowed log that Shiro can’t determine a use for, and what appears to be a large hammock. Definitely big enough for Shiro and Keith to share, if they were so inclined.

Shiro has shared a hammock before. There really isn’t any way to avoid getting tangled up in the person you’re sharing with. He wonders if that’s a Rinct thing. The hammock is huge, and could easily fit two or three Rinct at least. Is that part of their culture, sleeping in a tangle of tentacles? If Delrin was expecting all the paladins to pile together in a hammock in a jumble of limbs, that might be why it had seemed so confused about privacy.

It still doesn’t explain why, even after separating the rest of the paladins, they’d roomed Shiro and Keith together.

Shiro looks longingly at the hammock and pictures sleeping in it with Keith. The nature of hammocks would have them end up curled around each other. He wants that. He wants Keith to tuck his face into the crook of Shiro’s neck and feel safe.

“Shiro?” Keith calls out. “You want to come take a look at this?” 

Shiro shakes his head to clear it and goes to the adjoining bathroom so that he and Keith can figure out how everything in it works.

***

The highlight of their room turns out to be the bathroom. Because while figuring out the facilities was a little tricky, they got it in the end– and the rest of the bathroom is dominated by a giant tub. It has two sections, one shallow and one deep. The deep one goes up to Shiro’s waist while he’s standing, but the shallow section is still deep enough that it would be easy enough for someone of even Shiro’s size to submerge if he so chose. As best as Shiro can tell, it’s a little like a Japanese bath, where one part is for getting clean and the other part is for soaking. Going by that logic, he guesses for the larger Rinct, the shallow end is to wash up and the deep end is to swim and soak. He’d probably do it the other way 'round; scrub off in the deep end and then go to the shallower tub to relax, since he’d be able to lie down.

He doesn’t spend any time thinking about how the bathtub is also definitely big enough for him and Keith to share. 

“I think I’m going to take a bath,” he says in lieu of anything else. A good soak has always helped drain the tension from his body and it’s a luxury he’s been missing. Besides, they’ve got a couple vargas to kill and if Shiro’s in the bathroom, it gives Keith a little alone time. Shiro has to be mindful of that. He doesn’t want to be suffocating. “So I’m calling dibs, unless you want to fight me for it.”

Keith’s lips quirk, amused. “All yours.”

“Will you want to take one after I’m done?”

“Why?”

“Because if you do,” Shiro says as he gathers together his soap and stuff, “I’ll actually try to get out after a varga. If not, I’m staying in there until we have to go to dinner.”

Keith chuckles. “You and baths.”

“Baths are the best,” Shiro says seriously. It’s not the first time they’ve had this conversation. Keith has always maintained that he never got the point of baths over showers. Why soak when you could just take a quick shower and be done with it? “You just don’t know how to appreciate them.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” 

“If you keep disparaging baths, I’m going to drag you in with me,” Shiro threatens. It’s a mistake as soon as he says it, because it makes him realize just how much he wants to. It’s not that he hasn’t thought of it before– far from it. But the sudden intensity of the want is startling. Just… it’s the idea of Keith warm and wet and pliant as Shiro soaps him up and rinses him down, washes his hair, then pulls him into his lap to take care of him. It’s the want to see Keith surrender fully to relaxing in Shiro’s arms and feeling good.

His hands are shaking. He scoops up his things so Keith doesn’t notice.

Keith flicks him a grin. “Go enjoy turning yourself into soup.”

“Thank you,” Shiro sniffs. “I will.”

***

It takes Shiro a little longer than he’d like to breathe out and enjoy the bath, and even once his muscles start to lose their tension his thoughts still drift to Keith and wishing he were there too, enjoying.

He takes his time to soak, drying off and dressing slowly, but eventually he can’t hide any longer. Not that he really wants to. Besides, the two vargas are almost up and then it’ll be time for dinner and diplomacy and he wants to enjoy a little bit more time in a cocoon with Keith away from all that.

When Shiro exits the bathroom, he finds Keith asleep, curled up in the giant hammock.

Shiro spends some time just looking before he goes over to nudge Keith awake.

Keith blinks sleepily at him. “Mm?”

Shiro smiles and brushes a hand over Keith's hair. “Come on. It’s time to see what Hunk pulled together for dinner.”

***

The meal is fine. They eat in a banquet hall at the bottom of the hotel joined by quite a few Rinct, including Velry and Korvak--though Shiro can’t spot Delrin. The table is pretty full of talking, but thankfully it’s mostly conversation that Shiro doesn’t feel the need to participate in. He’d rather concentrate on his food. Eating too fast or mindlessly makes him feel anxious, especially on unfamiliar territory. He compliments Hunk a couple of times, but otherwise stays quiet.

Or he does, until he hears Keith get dragged into a conversation that is clearly one he doesn’t want to have.

The paladins are mostly sitting side by side with Rinct seated across from them, once again in the cup chairs that are a little too big. He’s pretty sure Pidge is sitting on a box. But Keith is at the end of the row and a Rinct is at the head of the table right next to him. It’s close enough that Shiro can pick out what the Rinct is saying, even among the buzz of noise from the rest of the dinner.

The Rinct starts the conversation in roughly the same way Delrin and Velry both had. “You are Galra.” It sets Shiro’s teeth on edge.

“Half,” Keith says warily. “And?” 

“Please explain how traditional Galra diets are similar to those of your fellow teammates.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your teammates are not Galra.”

“Right. I know.”

“Yet when paladin Hunk worked to prepare the meal, he did not make any allowances for a different diet for you. This is unusual, as you are a different species.”

“I’m only half a different species,” Keith points out, mouth thinning. “And I grew up on Earth, eating human food. I can eat most of it without problems.”

“Please explain most.”

Keith shrugs, looking down at his plate. “Some stuff I don’t like and don’t want to eat.”

“Please provide examples.”

“Is there a particular reason you’re interested?” Shiro cuts in, pitching the question in the realm of polite.

“I am Lamra. I am interested in biological specimens.”

“Keith isn’t a specimen. He’s a guest.”

Lamra flicks a tentacle in Shiro’s direction. “You are all guests. You are here to learn from us. We wish to learn from you as well.”

Shiro bites the inside of his cheek. It’s logical. He still hates it. “Fair enough. But it seems like Keith is the only one getting the third degree.”

“Please explain third degree.”

Shiro exhales through his nose. “He’s getting most of the questions. Are you not as interested in humans or alteans?”

Lamra shifts in its chair, three tentacles curling out, then in. “There is not a current intergalactic dictatorship being led by humans or alteans.” 

Beside him, Shiro sees Keith sigh and watches his shoulders droop. It’s instinct--instinct he is no longer fighting--to reach out and place a hand on Keith’s arm. Just a reminder that Shiro is there, in his corner, ready and willing to be a support.

Keith sighs again, but flicks a small smile in Shiro’s direction. “It’s fine,” he says. “I get it.” To Lamra he says, “I’ll answer questions and stuff, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be in learning about the Galra running the dictatorship. It’s not like I’m a defector. I grew up on Earth. I don’t know the ins and outs of their society or anything.”

“There is still much we can learn about the workings of Galra from examining you.”

“You can ask questions as long as Keith wants to answer them,” Shiro grits out as Keith’s gaze drops back to his plate. He shifts to thread his fingers through Keith’s, and Keith clutches at him. “You’re not putting him on a--on an exam table and looking at him through a microscope.” He registers Keith whipping around to look at him, eyes stricken, and Shiro forces himself to relax, running his thumb over the back of Keith’s hand.

Three tentacles move again. “Offense was not meant.”

“It’s fine,” Shiro says flatly.

“False statement. You are offended.”

“I don’t like the idea of Keith being treated like a lab experiment,” Shiro manages, jaw clenched, as he reaches for his waterglass. 

Lamra turns to Keith. “I have caused great offense. I apologize. Please convey my apologies to your owner.”

There is a loud crunching sound. Shiro opens his hand and lets his crushed metal cup drop to the table with a thud. The whole table quiets, looking at him. Shiro focuses on Keith’s hand in his, and his horror diminishes some when it registers that though his prosthetic caused damage, his flesh hand’s hold on Keith is still gentle. It allows him to pull on a rueful smile. “Sorry about that. Sometimes it gets the better of me.” True enough. And it better be enough of not-quite-a-lie to get through Rinct senses, because he doesn’t feel like explaining himself.

“Do you need me to look into recalibrating?” Allura asks, concerned.

“Maybe later,” Shiro allows. “Sorry to interrupt everyone.” He turns away. Lamra seems to be staring at him. Shiro can’t quite tell, as Lamra still looks like a squid.

The Rinct next to Lamra, who has clearly caught at least part of the conversation, waves several tentacles in Lamra’s direction, moving them in quick patterns that Shiro can’t even begin to follow. Once it’s over, Lamra turns back to Shiro and Keith.

“I have errored. Please disregard my word usage. There was no intention to disrespect you or your Keith.”

Shiro nods. He doesn’t say anything like “apology accepted,” because he doesn’t want to be called out for lying. Instead he breathes in and out, calling up patience. Keith is still stiff by his side, and Shiro is going to ease that, damn it. “There’s a lot that we don’t know about Rinct culture, and I think Keith and I missed out on some explanations. Can you give us a quick run-down about your three sciences?”

“Of course,” Lamra says. It sounds a little relieved, so maybe it really meant it by the apology.

Shiro listens attentively, because it is important information to know, and though he lets go of Keith’s hand so that Keith can get back to eating, he makes sure to reach out for touches for the rest of the dinner, to offer what comfort he can. Keith’s shoulders slowly lose a bit of their tension, and Shiro will take that for now.

***

The last thing Shiro wants to do after dinner is speak to someone about getting Keith into a separate room. Keith had calmed a little through the rest of the meal, but Shiro still wants to keep him close. Wants to kiss away the frown on his face, and press his fingers over the hard lines of his back. In other circumstances he'd offer to spar to relieve some energy and then they’d go their separate ways to turn in for the night. But they're in a strange place with strange people, and he'd rather offer Keith a united front.

Plus he doesn't want to leave Keith alone here. Just in case.

He promised Keith that he would ask about their room assignments though, and he plans to keep that promise. And he does want to know why they were designated to room together in the first place.

The word “owner” sits sour in the back of his throat.

To no one’s surprise, once dinner is adjourned the Voltron group all cite exhaustion and plan to make their way back to their rooms to rest. The opportunity then presents itself in a surprising way, in the form of Velry and another Rinct coming up to them as they all start milling about. 

“I hope you have found your accommodations satisfactory,” Velry says, tentacles twisting.

“About that–” Shiro starts.

“This is Korvak,” Velry continues. “An equal in my field of study.”

“Nice to meet you,” Shiro says probably more brusquely than necessary. 

Korvak turns to Keith. “You are Galra.”

“Yeah,” Keith says, sounding tired, as Shiro’s jaw tightens. “I know.”

“There are many things we would wish to learn of the Galra,” Korvak says. “I am looking forward to speaking with you more.”

“Yeah,” Shiro says quickly, spotting the opening. “Maybe tomorrow? Right now we’re kind of beat. Although on that note, Velry, would it be possible for me and Keith to get separate rooms?”

Velry does that body wiggle again. “But you do not want separate rooms.”

Inwardly, Shiro blanches.  _ Fuck _ he hadn’t even considered this. “Yes,” he says before he thinks better of it. “We do.”

Velry and Korvak burst into some of the alien sign language before Velry turns back to Shiro and says, “I do not understand. You are requesting to be separated, but you do not wish to be in a different room from your Keith.”

Shiro glances at Keith, trying not to panic. He doesn’t want to give too much away. He already  _ has _ given so much away.

But Keith just reaches out to touch Shiro’s wrist. “It’s fine,” he says softly, more to Shiro than to the two Rinct. “Forget it. We’re good with sharing.”

“Yes,” Korvak says. It sounds confused.

“G’night,” Keith tells them, as he hooks his fingers around Shiro’s wrist and tugs him away.

Shiro mutters a hurried goodnight of his own as he allows Keith to lead him down the hall and back to the elevator tube thing. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t…” he doesn’t know what to say next. He isn’t sure what is okay to admit.

“It’s okay,” Keith says. “I was being stupid.” 

“Keith, no–”

Keith looks up at Shiro, earnest and open. “When you…” he takes a breath, ducks his head. “You slept better with company. When you let me be there.”

Like it was a fucking hardship to let Keith be near him, when Shiro was fighting tooth and nail not to pull him closer. When he was terrified of taking too much. When he was shrinking away from Keith because he was worried about going too far and thus denying Keith affection that he  _ needed. _

Shiro lets himself smile, small and rueful. “If you don’t mind rooming with me, then… yeah. I think I’d sleep better.”

***

At first it’s just simple routine. They each brought an overnight pack, so they take turns using the bathroom and brushing their teeth. It feels like a routine, even if they haven’t moved within each other’s space in quite this way for a while. They separate to change, and Shiro pulls on the loose pajama bottoms he wears to sleep and gathers his folded clothes, going back into the main room. Keith’s already there, wearing an overlarge T-shirt, which are his favored sleep clothes. The hem of his boxer briefs just peek out from underneath it.

God, he’s a dream.

And he looks hesitant, uncertain as he glances back at Shiro approaching, so Shiro reaches out and lays a hand on Keith’s shoulder, squeezing once. “Ready to try to get some sleep?”

Keith’s answering smile is still nervous, but he isn’t stiff under Shiro’s hand. “Yeah. Let’s see how we do.”

They both turn to the bed. Or rather, the hammock bed. It’s big. But there’s only the one. And it is a hammock. 

After rooting around, they find a small closet that contains some--very large--blankets. Or what they assume are blankets. They’re large pieces of cloth, anyway, and would work well to  _ act _ as blankets, if they wanted covers while on the hammock. Keith hefts the bundle and goes to throw them on the hammock.

Shiro spends approximately three seconds debating whether or not to offer to take the floor before he discards the idea altogether. Proximity is good. This sort of proximity… he wants it. He’ll admit that. He thinks it’s going to be a while before he stops struggling with the idea of being selfish, if he ever stops.

But on some level, he knows Keith wants it too. Maybe not in the same way, but he wants it.  _ It feels nice to be around people you care about. Feels safe. _ Another thing Shiro hadn’t considered; that Keith might feel the absence of touch more strongly.

Keith won’t ask. Shiro is no longer going to make him wish he could.

He climbs onto the hammock, easily rolling into the middle where it naturally dips, and holds a hand out to Keith. “Coming?”

“I can take the floor–”

“Keith.” Shiro’s a leader; he’s long perfected how to sound kind but firm. “You’re not sleeping on the floor. Come on.”

Keith is slow to climb onto the hammock, and he misjudges the movement of an unstable surface and ends up falling into Shiro, who lets out an  _ oof _ automatically.

“Sorry!” Keith pushes to sit up, but the weight of both of them in the middle means it’s harder for him to move away. “Fuck, how do they even get out of these things–”

Shiro laughs and curls an arm around Keith’s waist, pulling him in closer, and Keith just  _ goes, _ body tucking up against Shiro’s like he was made for it. A thrill runs through him at that, and it colors Shiro’s smile as he says, “Probably they use the little holes in the weave to move around. I bet it’s easier with tentacles. They might even anchor themselves in one place.”

“Guess it’s better than the time we were given beds of moss,” Keith mumbles. He turns onto his side and ends up splaying a hand over Shiro’s bare chest. This close, Shiro can hear the sharp intake of breath.

Shiro does the obvious thing and tightens his hold on Keith so that he doesn’t try to shift away.  _ It’s okay. It’s okay, let me do this for you.  _

The little voice at the back of his head goes  _ let me have this too.  _

He wants–

“This okay?” Shiro murmurs. “You comfortable enough?”

“Y-yeah,” Keith says, sounding out of breath.

Loath to move, Shiro uses his right arm to grab the blankets to cover them up. Remembering what he can about friendly Galra touching, he nuzzles his cheek into Keith’s hair. This time it’s a quiet little shudder that Shiro can feel along his whole body. 

“G’night, Keith.”

“Night.”

Shiro closes his eyes and keeps his breathing deep and even, gratified as, bit by bit, Keith relaxes against him. After several long moments Keith hiccups out a sigh, quiet but heavy, and pushes his face into the join of Shiro’s neck and shoulder. Another exhalation, this one almost a sob, and Keith goes boneless, fairly melting into Shiro’s side. Little puffs of breath tickle Shiro’s skin in a way that’s soothing. Grounding. Another concrete detail that proves Keith is real and in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aND TEHRE wAS ONYL OnE hAmMoCK


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is still in the hammock with him--his head on Shiro’s chest, Shiro’s arm draped loosely over him--but he’s obviously awake. He's holding himself still as if he doesn’t dare move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at me! I'm back! As are Shiro and Keith. I hope you enjoy :)

Shiro goes from sleeping to awake all at once, body instantly alert and thrumming. It’s a little akin to having an anxiety attack whenever he wakes up, with the caveat that he’s able to maintain the facade of sleep, eyes still closed, as he tries to assess the situation around him.

Keith is still in the hammock with him--his head on Shiro’s chest, Shiro’s arm draped loosely over him--but he’s obviously awake. He's holding himself still as if he doesn’t dare move. From his position he absolutely knows Shiro is awake as well. Which is a shame, because Shiro would have liked to wake up to a relaxed, sleepy Keith.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t still take his time.

“Morning,” he murmurs, stroking his hand up Keith’s side until it comes to rest at the nape of his neck, carding through Keith’s hair. Keith lets out a quiet little sound. “Sleep okay?”

“Not bad,” Keith says, voice just as quiet. “You?”

Shiro woke up three times with the usual spike of panic, and all three times it was to find Keith curled up against him, a warm, comforting weight. He got to bury his nose in Keith’s hair three times and just breathe him in, and he got to settle back to sleep three times with his universe, trusting and soft, in his arms.

“Yeah,” he rasps. “It was great. Best sleep I’ve had in awhile.”

Keith huffs a laugh and shifts just enough to look at him. “Maybe you should try sleeping in hammocks more.”

“Mm.” Shiro continues to thread his fingers through Keith’s hair. If he tugged, Keith’s face would tilt up perfectly for a kiss. 

His fingers tighten minutely as the thought crosses his mind, and he almost stops breathing at the tiny wisp of a whimper that escapes Keith as his eyes fall shut.

They open again too quickly, and Shiro hates that he can read panic there. Before Keith can scramble away, Shiro presses a kiss to his temple. He pulls away to smile at him, pleased to see that the panic has given way to confusion. He’ll take it.

“You want the bathroom first?”

Keith abruptly goes red. “Yeah, thanks.” He moves away, leaving Shiro bereft and colder, though Shiro does have to grin at Keith’s flailing as he tries to extricate himself from the hammock and blankets.

“Having trouble?”

“Shut up,” Keith grumbles, pushing up on his hands and knees and crawling toward the edge. It gives Shiro a perfect view, what with Keith only in his over-sized shirt and underwear.  _ Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave. _ He’s suddenly overwarm and grateful for the blankets still covering him. 

Keith swings himself down out of the hammock and hurries into the bathroom, door sliding shut behind him. Shiro doubts he’ll take very long.

He takes a deep breath. Lets it out. Gets out of the hammock. Starts on his exercises. His arousal becomes easier to ignore as he slips into his carefully-honed routine. 

Keith ends up taking longer in the bathroom than Shiro had expected, but he comes out with his hair wet, so he probably washed up. He’s still just wearing the long T, which makes sense considering Keith hadn’t grabbed a change of clothes.

Shiro focuses on the last of his movements as Keith goes to riffle through his pack, then gets to his feet, slinging his own pack over his shoulder. “Be out in a bit.” He doesn’t bother telling Keith to go down to breakfast without him. Keith won’t.

Alone in the bathroom, the arousal that had been simmering under his skin grows hotter again, which at least allows him to take care of himself quickly, biting his lip on the sounds that want to spill out. He’s not naturally quiet, though he’d had reason to learn. He still greatly prefers being vocal, especially with a partner.

The thought comes unbidden;  _ what sounds would Keith make? _ He wants to find out. He wants to coax out whatever he can. He wants–

Fuck, this is dangerous. He knows he’s already skirting a line between his own desires and what he knows is good for Keith. In a perfect world those things would match up. And while he does… suspect some things now, he can’t assume. He needs to be patient and keep observing. Keep filling in the blanks of everything he’s been missing.

He finishes washing up and exits the bathroom to find Keith leaning against a wall and staring into space, drumming a staccato rhythm on his thighs with his hands.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Shiro says.

Keith snorts, amused. “Not worth much, huh?”

“Hey, I can start the bidding higher,” Shiro says, getting close enough to sling an arm around Keith’s shoulders and start leading him out of the room. “If we ever get back to Earth and the Garrison is still standing, I’m pretty sure I’m owed a crazy amount of backpay.”

“Would you want to stay on Earth, when the war is over?”

Shiro smiles at how certain Keith is that they’ll come out on top. On anyone else he’d probably dismiss it as slightly-foolish optimism, but Keith does nothing halfway. Shiro can’t help but believe in his spirit. He always has. “I don’t know,” he says to answer Keith’s question. “It might be nice to spend a little time on Earth with food I remember and stuff. But after the war, a lot of places will need help, not just Earth. And I’d still want to explore. I’d still want to fly.”

“You still love the stars,” Keith says.

“Yeah.”  _ Though they’re not the only thing I love. _ “What about you? We haven’t really talked about it much.”

They get to the tunnel and start to climb down, Keith’s voice echoing a little in the space. Of course, he doesn't sound out of breath at all. “I’d like to go where I’m needed. I want to be useful. But I’d… I’d like to fly too. If I could.”

“Tell you what,” Shiro says, voicing aloud a thought he’s had for ages. “We’ll go together. Be humanitarians. Personatarions? Fly around in our own ship and just help out however we can, wherever we go. Get to see the universe at our own pace.”

“You’d want to?” Keith asks. He sounds breathless now, and Shiro wishes he could see his face. “With... with me? You mean it?”

_ Oh, sweetheart. _ “Of course. There’s no one else I’d rather be with. If you wanted to.”

“Are you– _ yes. _ Yeah, of course. Of course I want to.”

“Perfect. Then I guess we’ve got a plan for after we win the war.”

Keith is silent, and Shiro  _ really _ wishes he could see his face right now, but then they’re reaching the bottom of the tunnel and hopping down. As soon as Keith lands he’s throwing his arms around Shiro.

“I really want to go with you,” he says muffled into Shiro’s chest. “Please take me with you.”

“I’ll always want you,” Shiro tells him, meaning so many different things. “You never even have to ask.” He leans back just enough to meet Keith’s eyes and stroke a hand down the side of his face, over the scar. 

Keith’s lips part, his breathing turned shallow. “Yeah?”

“That’s a promise, Keith.”

He watches Keith swallow, then smile, small but so, so bright. “Okay.” Followed by a fierce, “and me too. I’ll always want you, too. Always.”

“Yeah? I’m glad.” Shiro says softly. He thumbs at the corner of Keith’s lip, testing. Watches Keith’s eyes dilate as his lips part on a shallow exhale.

“Greetings, Shiro and Keith,” a familiar voice says. 

Keith stiffens up and Shiro bites down a growl. Instead he gives Keith a wry look and turns to face Velry. He keeps his arm wrapped around Keith’s waist. “Good morning.”

Velry does a full body wriggle as his eyes blink. “Yes.” Two tentacles curl out, and it appears to want to say something, but all it ends up being is, “first meal is ready, and then we will begin our work. If you will join us.”

“Yep,” Shiro says. “Let’s go.”

***

Shiro and Keith were the first ones up, and they’re already done eating by the time the rest of the paladins show up. They exchange greetings and a quick update of their plans for the day, but both Shiro and Keith are antsy to see what their “work”  _ is _ , exactly, so they leave the mess hall once that’s done.

Turns out that work is a lot of observation and not-quite questions. Korvak and Velry actually seem to be trying hard to get them to understand how they read biometrics, but from what Shiro understands, most of that is innate ability that he, as a human, definitely does not possess.

“But you are Galra,” Velry tells Keith for at least the third time. “You should be able to understand microexpressions at the very least.”

“Okay fine,” Keith says, “But I don’t know what those are. How am I supposed to understand them?”

“You must notice certain body movements others make,” Korvak says. “How tension flows across the body.”

“I mean, that’d be cool I guess. But I don’t? Not more than anyone else does.”

Velry shoots Shiro what could be interpreted as a helpless look, its tentacles curling. “You must have noticed your Keith reacting to things that others do not.”

Shiro has stopped bothering to fight  _ your Keith.  _ Though there is guilt there, in reference to how much he likes it, given that he hasn’t quite been able to tell how Keith feels about it. He also tries to treat the not-question seriously, and thinks it through. “Well, actually... Keith, maybe? You’ve always, you know, picked up on things that other people miss.”

“Like what?” Keith asks warily.

Shiro knows Keith doesn’t love stuff that sets him apart from other people. Unless he’s beating sim scores, that is. So he tries to tread carefully. Keith’s observational skills are a positive, after all. For the most part. “You know when people are upset,” he says at last. “Even if they aren’t acting like they are. You’ve always been able to see right through that.”

He doesn’t expect Keith to collapse a little, and Keith’s voice strives for flippant when he says, “That’s just basic survival, right? I mean, any kid who grew up in the system knows to watch out for people saying one thing and meaning another.”

“Ah.” Korvak nods. “This ‘system’ is a training facility and you spent your formative years there.”

Keith presses his lips together. “Sure.”

There is a heavy moment of silence.

“If I have made an incorrect statement, you are free to give corrections,” Korvak says, sounding almost apologetic. Korvak is much better at reading the room than Velry is. 

Keith exhales noisily. He goes through a complicated set of expressions, clearly struggling to figure out a way to explain the foster system. “You weren’t exactly wrong,” he says at last. “Just not all the way right, either. And I wasn’t given a choice. I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s got nothing to do with me being Galra.”

“Perhaps not,” Velry starts. “However--”

One of Korvak’s tentacles poke Velry in the side. Velry stops, looking sulky. “All knowledge is good knowledge.”

“Knowledge or death,” Shiro murmurs into Keith’s ear. 

Keith actually lets out a quiet little chuckle. Shiro will take it.

***

The Rinct don’t have work days the way Shiro is used to. It’s not an eight hour (or varga) stretch broken up by lunch in the middle. Instead, after maybe three vargas, Korvak and Velry say it is time for a feeding (Velry uses those exact words, and Shiro tries not to find it unsettling) and then it is “isolation time.” 

Whatever that is.

“Of course,” Velry says, “Isolation is to be spent with your…” as it trails off, eyes blinking, Shiro can’t help but feels as though he is missing something. 

“Roommate,” Korvak supplies suddenly, in a burst of sound. “Roommate. Yes.”

Shiro gives Korvak a funny look. “You spend isolation time with your… roommates.”

“Yes,” Korvak says firmly. “The ones with which you share your rooms.”

Shiro is definitely missing something, but he has no problem spending this so-called isolation time with his most important person. “Okay. What do we do?”

Korvak lets out a mechanical rattle that could possibly be interpreted as a sigh. “Isolation time is to be used to cleanse your body and mind so that you are more rested and efficient. Your rooms are equipped with all that is required. You and your Keith will enjoy the bathing facilities and the rest area.”

“The rest area is also a place you may enjoy,” Velry nearly shouts, fixing two of its three eyes on Shiro, the third focused on Keith. 

Korvak jabs Velry with a tentacle. Velry jabs Korvak back. Shiro gets the distinct impression he is doing the equivalent of watching two children slap-fight.

Keith nudges Shiro and makes the very subtlest of faces. Shiro squashes his chuckle out of respect for these two supposedly-renowned scientists, but he does let some of his amusement show in a way that he knows Keith will be able to read. Keith knows him the best out of anyone.

“Okay,” Keith says, after several seconds of this. Korvak and Velry both look at him with all three eyes. “So we head back to our room and take a bath and then a nap?”

“You may do whatever you see fit to, for your time with your roommate,” Korvak says with great dignity. Velry lifts a tentacle and Korvak quickly holds up two of its own.

“Great,” Shiro says. He puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder, not missing the way Keith lets out a quiet breath and relaxes just a little. God, he really has been neglecting him. “I think we can manage that.”

***

“We don’t have to,” Keith says at once, when they’re back in their rooms.

“Don’t have to what?” Shiro asks. He already suspects he knows what Keith is going to say, but he also wants to know for sure. Too many people have put words in Keith’s mouth, Shiro included.

“Don’t have to actually… do any of that stuff.”

“What,” Shiro says, already shucking his shirt. “You think I’m going to turn down the opportunity to have another bath?”

Keith presses his lips together.

_ Oh, sweetheart.  _ “You know  _ you _ don’t have to,” is what Shiro does say. “They won’t know the difference if we don’t get in the bath together.”

“What if they ask if we did? They know when we lie.”

“I could take one and then you could take one,” Shiro suggests. “Then we can both say we enjoyed the bathing part.” He very much wants to take a bath with Keith. Maybe even live out some of his earlier fantasies about taking care of him--even if it’s only through washing his hair. But everything is baby steps here, and Keith’s comfort is paramount above all else.

Keith opens his mouth, gazing dropping to the floor. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“I don’t mind,” Shiro says gently.

“Right,” Keith says, expression turning stubborn. “Okay.”

They make their way into the large bathroom to find that the bathtub has already filled with a bubbling pink foam. It makes Shiro grin. “It looks like a bubble bath.”

“Yeah.” Keith almost seems more at ease, in seeing it.

Shiro wishes he knew why. “Well,” he says cheerfully. “No time like the present.”

They strip quickly, efficiently, and Shiro stays turned around until he hears the tell-tale splash of Keith getting into the water. They’ve both seen each other naked before--though Keith has seen Shiro naked far more often than Shiro has seen Keith. Keith has helped Shiro through the times when he was at his absolute lowest. There is nothing about Shiro’s body that Keith hasn’t seen and, in some way, tended to.

Absolutely nothing, and still Keith somehow did it all in a way that allowed Shiro what dignity he had left.

Shiro just wants to give back. That’s all he wants. He wants to give Keith the same love and attention. Make him feel just as cared for.

“How’s the water?” he asks, walking over to the bath and toeing at the pink froth.

“Not bad actually. It feels… cleaner than water, somehow.”

“Huh,” Shiro says once he’s in. “You’re right.” It feels like he’s in liquid, but the froth feels… firmer somehow. More cleansing? And pleasantly cool.

“It reminds me a little bit of the bathing facilities the blades have,” Keith says.

“Really? How are they different?”

“Well, they don’t use water, for one thing. Which makes sense. Water’s precious, not to mention that so many of them have fur and stuff.”

Shiro drifts closer. “So what do they use?”

“It’s a kind of oil. You dip a cloth in it and run it over your body--skin or fur or scales or whatever and it sort of… lifts the dirt away. This feels a little like that, only with more soaking.”

“I like it,” Shiro says, now close enough to touch.

“Me too,” Keith admits.

“Could I wash your hair?”

Keith’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Could I wash your hair,” Shiro repeats. He shrugs, the movement, as always, pulling on the scar tissue in his back and shoulders. “It seems like the kind of thing one does, when one enjoys a bathing facility with a roommate.”

It has the desired effect. Keith--there’s no other word for it, he giggles. “Oh my god, it felt like they didn’t have any idea of what they were saying.”

“But they were very proud of what they managed,” Shiro says, lifting his hands out of the water. Again he asks, “Can I?”

He watches Keith take a shallow breath and then turn away from him. Giving Shiro his back. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, if you… want to. Go ahead.”

Shiro smiles and reaches out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES.
> 
> Korvak, probably: oh my god they were roommates


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith mumbles something, but he definitely isn’t all the way awake yet. Shiro suspects that if he were, Shiro wouldn’t have him in his arms like this, soft and sleepy and warm. Nor would he have Keith nuzzling in closer into Shiro’s chest. The hammock already makes keeping their distance impossible, but it’s another thing entirely to see how Keith seeks him out when unconscious, clinging in sleep. Sighing out a smile when Shiro strokes his damp hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that so many of you have been enjoying this story, and I appreciate your patience in waiting for this update. As some of you may know, I hosted a live-tweeting of my writing this story on twitter as a way to try to spread some joy. The reaction was SO wonderful, and all of your comments in general have been giving me life <3

“Isolation time isn’t so bad,” Shiro murmurs later, mostly to himself. “Is it?”

Keith mumbles something, but he definitely isn’t all the way awake yet. Shiro suspects that if he were, Shiro wouldn’t have him in his arms like this, soft and sleepy and warm. Nor would he have Keith nuzzling in closer into Shiro’s chest. The hammock already makes keeping their distance impossible, but it’s another thing entirely to see how Keith seeks him out when unconscious, clinging in sleep. Sighing out a smile when Shiro strokes his damp hair.

Shiro could stay like this forever if given half the chance.

Unfortunately the moment is broken by a loud alarm sound, coupled with the lights in the room flashing red. Keith jerks awake, eyes wide and expression frantic, as he flails in Shiro’s arms.

Shiro does not have a much better reaction, except that his first instinct is  _ shield, protect, _ and so he curls around Keith, trying to hush him, both of them falling still as Shiro raises his right arm and points it at the door.

Nothing happens. The alarm cuts off abruptly and the lights return to normal, and now Shiro has a panicked, shaking Keith pulling away from him and clawing his way out of the hammock. Shiro follows.

“What do you think happened?” Keith says, grabbing his shoes and shoving them on. “Are we under attack?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro says. “I feel like the alarm would have gone on longer if something were really wrong, but we better check it out.”

They burst from their rooms at about the same time Hunk exits his. He looks less alarmed and more annoyed though, yawning hugely behind his hand.

“That doesn’t get any less terrible,” he says. “I was having a good dream too.”

“Hunk?” Shiro tries not to snap. His own heart is still pounding and Keith's face is pale, hands trembling. He's never reacted well to being startled awake. Neither has Shiro, and it's only gotten worse. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Yeah,” Hunk sighs. “Nap time’s over. Back to business.”

“What?” Keith asks. 

Hunk blinks. “What what?”

“Nothing’s… wrong?”

Hunk looks confused before his eyes widen. “Wait, is something wrong? I thought that was just the regular signal thing that they do. Is there a different signal thing? Oh man, why does no one ever tell me these things--”

“Hunk, slow down.” Shiro holds up a hand. “What regular signal thing?”

“You know, the  _ all is well _ bit? With the red light.”

Shiro’s heart starts to calm from his racing as he remembers their initial meeting with the Rinct. The red light they thought was an alarm that was simply just a signal for… “Oh. I see.”

Hunk blanches. “Did no one tell you? I’m so sorry! I figured your Rinct guides would totally have told you!”

“It’s fine, Hunk. Probably it slipped their minds. Or they figured we already knew or something. It’s good to know going forward that it’s not an alarm, though.”

“Yeah,” Hunk says as they start to walk down the hall toward the exit tube. “Pidge and I have been learning all about their tech. Their cloaking stuff is  _ insane. _ " He flings his hands out excitedly as he says it and Keith flinches. Shiro's lips tighten.

"I see why Allura was interested," Hunk continues. "But the lights and sounds are how they communicate without, I don’t know, like, getting things muddled up because they can basically all read each other’s minds. Tech stuff doesn’t have thoughts or feelings, you know?”

“I see. Do you know why they use red so often though? It’s… kind of jarring.”

“Oh! The Rinct can only see primary colors. Apparently red is the most soothing color for them. In the lab, all the warning signs and stuff are in blue. Lance nearly had a fit yesterday when we were making dinner and Bacten asked if he was venomous.”

Shiro mulls this over. Red is a soothing color, huh? 

_ I understand why you put your Keith in red. _

Huh.

“Well at least nothing’s wrong,” Keith mutters, crossing his arms. It’s obvious that the wake-up call put him in a bad mood. Shiro doesn’t blame him; he’s not a fan of panic-adrenaline either, especially once it wears off.

He motions for Hunk to start down the tube ahead of them before stepping closer to Keith, who looks up, expression closed-off. Almost sulky.

It’s cute, or would be if Keith wasn’t clearly upset. Shiro puts a hand on his shoulder, sliding it over until he can rub at Keith’s neck with his thumb. “Hey. It’s okay.”

“I know,” Keith says, clipped. “I’m fine.”

“I’m not,” Shiro says, because he knows honesty will get him farther. At Keith’s startled look, he continues, “We’re in the middle of a war, and we’re hard-wired to react in certain ways to different stimuli. I was relaxed and comfortable and suddenly had to bolt into action, only to find that it was wasted energy. I’m not exactly thrilled about it.”

“Yeah,” Keith mumbles after a minute, gaze dropping to the floor. “I didn’t… like that.”

“And it’s okay,” Shiro says again. “It’s okay, Keith.”

He cups the back of Keith’s neck and gently pulls forward. Keith moves with it, until his forehead is pressed to Shiro’s chest. He both hears and feels Keith take a deep breath before letting out the air, shoulders loosening.

Shiro gives his neck a gentle squeeze before releasing him. It’s another moment more before Keith steps back, eyes brighter. “Thanks.” It’s sweet. Shy.

“Anytime,” Shiro says, and wishes Keith understood how much he means it.

***

“I hope isolation time was enjoyable for you and your Keith,” Velry says, when they all meet back to continue their “work.”

“It was fine,” Shiro says. “Thank you.”

Velry blinks two of its three eyes, tentacles curling out, then in. The atmosphere takes on a decidedly sulky air, and it is much less cute than when Keith did it. “It was not.”

Velry sounds less accusatory and more hurt. It strikes Shiro that they are possibly supposed to be bonding, and that the Rinct doesn’t appreciate what it considers being lied to.

Shiro sighs. He hates politics. “I mean it,” he says. “It was really nice. We were startled by the signal that it was over though. We thought it was an alarm.”

“No one explained that there would be a loud noise and light and stuff,” Keith adds, just a touch pointed.

Velry’s tentacles all curl in. “You were disturbed,” it says, sounding truly upset. “Apologies.”

“At least we’ll know for next time,” Keith says with a sigh of his own

“Ah, hello Paladins Shiro and Keith,” Korvak says, returning to the room as well. “I hope isolation time was--”

“Shiro and his Keith were disturbed by the ending signal for the isolation time,” Velry announces. “Their relaxation together was rendered ineffective.”

Shiro blinks. “I, uh, I wouldn’t say ineffective--”

Korvak wilts. “This is most unfortunate. Perhaps some more isolation time is prudent.”

Shiro isn’t sure what to do with this. “It’s really okay. Keith and I had a nice bath and we took a nap, just like we were supposed to. It was nice. It was just a little bit of a shock at the end. But we're fine. And we’re supposed to be learning from you, right?” Not that he thinks they’ve learned much so far. “We might as well use our time together.”

Korvak and Velry exchange looks. It’s not very subtle.

“You are unable to read biometrics,” Korvak says at last. It sounds almost apologetic about it. “And your Keith is displeased by his own ability to read them.”

“I’m not--” Keith hesitates. “Uh.”

Very does the mechanical sigh again, sounding very put-upon. “It appears that it is both Galra and human to not say what one means.”

“Now wait a minute,” Shiro says sternly, curling his fingers around Keith’s wrist as Keith bites his lip and drops his gaze to the floor. “We come from a society where we’re socialized differently than you are. There are millions of studies as to why people might do or say something that isn’t entirely true. We do it to protect ourselves, or others, or to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or even because being upset by something isn’t considered polite.”  _ Something that isn’t a problem for you, obviously. _ “We aren’t trying to insult you here.”

“All true,” Korvak says, and while its tone is firm, all three of its eyes are focused on Velry. Huh. “It is a failing on our part to not understand you better. However, just as you are learning of us, we are learning of you.”

“I know,” Shiro says. “We get that. We do. But you’ve got to cut us a little slack here if we’re not rushing to strip ourselves bare right away. It’s not something humans do.”

“Trust probably comes easier when you can tell right away if someone means you harm or not,” Keith puts in.

“Yes,” Korvak says. It sounds considering. “This is something you would know.”

Keith’s gaze skitters away. “I… yeah. Yeah, I guess.”

“You trust paladin Shiro implicitly.”

“Yeah,” Keith says at once, no hesitation. “Yeah, of course.”

Shiro’s breath hitches. God, he doesn't know what he did to deserve Keith, but Shiro’ll thank his lucky stars every day for it.

“This statement pleases your ow--paladin Shiro,” Verly says, perking up. Its tentacles twist around its body. “That is good.”

Keith blinks and looks at Shiro, whose cheeks warm. “I mean yeah,” Shiro says. “Of course it makes me happy to know Keith trusts me.” The fact that someone as good as Keith can put his faith and trust in Shiro proves that Shiro has to be doing at least one thing right.

Once again, Korvak and Velry exchange looks. One of Velry’s tentacles sneaks forward to poke Korvak meaningfully in the side. 

Shiro raises an eyebrow. “It’d be nice to know why it’s important though. The fact that it makes me happy, I mean. Obviously it’s important to  _ me. _ ”

“It pleases your Keith to know his trust in you is pleasing to you,” Velry announces, in a way that seems incredibly pointed. “This is a mutually beneficial display of trust.”

Shiro blinks and chances a quick glance at Keith, who is blushing furiously. “Great.”

“You do not understand,” Velry says sourly.

Korvak actually glides in front of Velry and holds up four tentacles to block the other Rinct from sight. “We may discuss other things now. Perhaps an explanation as to why biometric readings are so useful. Perhaps this would make paladin Keith less unhappy to use his skill. Afterwards, Paladin Keith could start by practicing with reading your own biometrics, paladin Shiro.”

“Sure,” Keith says quickly. “Sure, yeah. Okay.”

Velry sulks for at least the next ten minutes. Shiro and Keith and Korvak all ignore it.

***

Eventually Shiro can’t put off how antsy he is, and he knows from the tightness in Keith’s posture that he’s no better. Both he and Keith are physical, though Shiro suspects for different reasons. Sometimes there really is only one thing to do when you’re wound up, and it’s to  _ move. _

So this time, he’s the one to ask for a break, and to ask if there isn’t an area where he and Keith could go to get some exercise.

Korvak and Velry both blink at him. 

“I mean, I’m not expecting a training facility built for humans,” Shiro says, not sure why he’s getting this reaction. “Just, you know, a place to work out.”

Korvak squints, three tentacles curling and uncurling. “Please explain ‘work out.’”

Shiro blanches. “Uh, you know, like… exercise?” More blank looks. “Moving your body in a way that engages it and makes it stronger?”

“Ah,” Velry says triumphantly. “You wish to engage in physical activity with your Keith.”

Shiro coughs, thoughts going in entirely the wrong direction. “S-sure. Yeah.”

Velry and Korvak both nod agreeably, but then Korvak says, “It appears you are saying that your rooms are not satisfactorily large enough.”

It makes Shiro pause as he considers. It is a pretty large room, that’s true. It was built for much larger beings, plus the furniture is minimal. For body-weight work, maybe some sparring, it’d be fine. “I guess you’re right. That would work. Keith?”

“I-I’d be good with maybe a walk to start,” Keith says after a beat. “Get some fresh air.”

Also a great idea. Now that Keith’s said it, Shiro’s sure that half his issue is the fact that he’s feeling cooped up. He knows he’d be perfectly happy going back to his and Keith’s room, but some fresh air is probably warranted. Besides, if Keith’s suggesting it, Shiro’s happy to go along with it. Keith asks for so little.

“Would that be okay?” Shiro asks. “Are we allowed to take a walk outside?”

“Of course,” Korvak says, though it seems disappointed for some reason, tentacles all drooping. “I will be happy to escort--”

“Paladins Shiro and Keith shouldn’t need an escort,” Velry interrupts. “Galra have heightened sense of direction.”

“We do?” Keith whispers to Shiro, bewildered.

Shiro shrugs, but he’s just as happy to be free of the Rinct for a little while. “Sure,” he says easily. “And we won’t go far. Just around the area. Besides, if we get lost, we can always ask directions.”

“Excellent,” Velry says, tentacles moving. “Enjoy your physical activity.”

“Yeah, thanks.” It’s weird, yeah, but Shiro turns to Keith and none of it matters. They’ll get some more time together--get some more alone time together, and hopefully Shiro will get to unwind a little. 

He’ll also do his best to get Keith’s shoulders to relax, because if anyone deserves some rest, it’s Keith.

_ His Keith, _ he thinks to himself before he can stop the thought.

***

They discover, once they get outside, that the embassy actually opens up to a really nice area. It’s a sort of groomed garden, with long, wide paths dotted with the grooves Shiro has gotten used to seeing around the Rinct planet. He supposes that if the entire planet-ship was literally built from the ground up, it makes sense that it was built to the Rinct’s exact specifications for optimal use.

He says as much to Keith, who nods. “I just wonder how it happened, you know? What made them build this place? Where did they start, to end up here?”

“Yeah,” Shiro says. “It’s pretty incredible. And the place clearly has been… lived in. It’s not  _ new. _ They’ve been here a long time.”

“Yeah.”

They fall into a companionable silence as they continue to walk, following one of the paths. They have to be careful stepping over and around the grooves, which are spaced fairly far apart, for larger Rinct bodies, but are also deep enough that a smaller human could turn an ankle if they stepped wrong.

Keith’s the one who sort of starts hopping from one groove to the next. It’s obvious he’s doing it unconsciously, just as a way to move easier, but his movements are fluid and graceful like they always are, and the effect is that it looks as though he’s moving through a training course.

Shiro grins. The path is wide enough for them to walk side-by-side, and they’ve been doing that as much as the grooves allow. But. “I bet I can beat you to that tree over there.” He points to a large probably-plant with a yellow trunk crowned with a large, wet-looking bubble. It could be an approximation of a tree. The flora on Rinct really is fascinating.

He might ask Korvak and Velry about  _ that _ later. As a break from the other stuff. It would be learning about Rinct, after all, and he’s genuinely curious. It might even be an enjoyable conversation. 

Keith looks from him to the tree and back again and grins too. “You’re on.” And he takes off.

Shiro laughs and races after him.

***

Later, after dinner, everyone gathers in Allura’s room to share how things have been going and to gauge how much longer they might be spending on Rinct.

It’s mostly very positive. Allura has been working hard to facilitate the possibility of continued contact with the Rinct, so that not all their research has to be done on the planet, and Pidge and Hunk have equally good news: not only are the Rinct excellent with technology, but they’re excellent at sharing their knowledge. The technological team have been working not on copying the tech, but on assembling a teaching manual so that team Hidge can mess around with stuff on their own time, occasionally assisted by the communication that Allura’s setting up.

Coran and Lance too, have productive accomplishments to share. Their biological team have been sharing seeds. Coran gleefully goes off on a very happy tangent about several carefully cultivated Rinct plants that, while purely decorative to the Rinct, are edibles for humans and Alteans alike. 

“Truly amazing, how these growing things need neither sunlight nor dirt. And they produce incredibly quickly.” He turns excitedly to Hunk. “I will be asking for your assistance tomorrow, Number Two! Our first crop should be ready by then, and I wish to share it!”

“Great,” Hunk says. He looks almost as excited as Coran does. Shiro's glad of something coming from all this that at least is making the others happy.

Lance grins. “It’s only the flitrit blossoms that’ll be ready by tomorrow morning, the others will take a little longer, but they’re great.” He looks at Allura. “And beautiful! You can make a bouquet of them  _ and _ eat them. Double-duty, you know? We could use them to decorate.”

Allura smiles at him genially before turning to Shiro. “You and Keith have been very quiet. What do you two have to share?”

Shiro opens his mouth, then closes it again. Keith sighs and crosses his arms.

“Well,” Shiro tries, “I think it’s more that Korvak and Velry are learning about us. They’re very... curious.”

Allura nods. “That’s excellent. The more good diplomatic relations we have here, the better. The Rinct have a lot to provide.”

“Great,” Shiro says weakly.

They all chat a little more, catching up with each other after being separated all day, but eventually Allura very politely kicks them out so she can get her beauty sleep.

Shiro can’t say he minds. He’s heading back to the room, Keith right beside him, and he’s looking forward to another night together.

They undress in silence. Shiro can tell by the pull of Keith’s shoulders that he’s thinking about something, but he doesn’t press to ask. If he sees tension start to build up in Keith’s body he might, but Shiro also knows that Keith takes solace in quiet, when they’re together.

Loneliness can be horribly loud.

He discards the idea of a bath since he already took one, even if it was in the middle of the day, and instead goes for his simple nightly routine. The bathroom is certainly big enough for him and Keith to stand companionably side by side as they brush their teeth. There are even multiple sinks, so they can go to their own separate stations if they want to.

They don’t, though.

It’s so domestic that it makes Shiro ache. Before, so long ago it seems like eons, he had had this. He and Adam had lived together, worked together, taken on hardships together. The time and memories have faded, part from hurt, part from forgiveness. It was a kindness to them both, in the end. Shiro knows that even if things hadn’t turned out the way they had… it wouldn’t have been a real future. It wouldn’t have lasted.

Shiro sees Keith and knows what his future looks like. 

Back in his overlarge shirt, Keith blinks sleepily as he brushes his hair for the night. At some point, when Shiro had been desperate for mundanity amidst the chaos, Keith had narrated his entire nightly routine. Shiro knows the whole order in which Keith does things to get ready for bed. He knows Keith brushes his hair every night  _ “because if I don’t, the tangles I go to bed with are  _ mean _ the next day”  _ and that when Keith was a kid, his dad used to give him a haircut every three weeks, because his hair grew so thick and fast.

_ “Pop still had to brush my hair every day though, to keep it tame. I don’t really care, but it… it makes me feel closer to him sometimes, you know?” _ Keith had glanced away. _ “Probably that’s stupid.” _

“Would you like me to--” Shiro stops. 

Keith turns to him, eyes a question. “Yeah?”

“Your hair,” Shiro says. He'd noticed yesterday, washing it. He's been noticing, as it brushes against Keith's cheeks, his neck. Shiro has to thread his fingers through and underneath it to reach Keith's nape. It makes touching that hidden skin feel more intimate. He itches to touch now. “It’s getting long.”

Keith’s eyes flick toward the mirror and back to Shiro. “A little, yeah.” He doesn't say anything else, even though he has more to say.

Again, Shiro doesn’t press. Instead he holds out a hand. “May I?”

Keith gives him a confused look, but hands over the brush. 

Shiro smiles and gestures for Keith to turn around.

Keith does without question, going back to face the mirror, and Shiro reaches out with the brush.

There is a shocked inhale from Keith when Shiro starts to brush his hair, eyes widening before they flutter closed. He lets out a pleased little noise that seems wholly involuntary, and lists back, seeking more.

Shiro’s smile only widens, softens, as he obliges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, last chapter: Keith, can I wash your hair?  
> Shiro, this chapter: Keith, can I brush your hair?  
> Keith, who hasn't has his hair played with in years: ;_; y-yes  
> Shiro: ;_; I have been given such a gift
> 
> (Korvak and Velry: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM)

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [Twitter?](https://twitter.com/justsayins)


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